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Reporters shunned by manager as football ban continues

Journalists banned by Newcastle United Football Club were again prevented from asking questions to manager Alan Pardew despite being allowed entry to a press conference which followed an away game.

Reporters from the Newcastle Chronicle, The Journal and The Sunday Sun were told ahead of yesterday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur that they would be welcomed to use media facilities at the away ground, despite their bar from St James’ Park.

However, at the post-match press conference following Newcastle’s 1-0 win, Pardew was prevented from speaking to journalists from the title.

The ban came about after the club was unhappy with coverage of a fan protest against Mike Ashley and has seen reporters from the Trinity Mirror titles banned indefinitely from the press box and press conferences at St James’ Park.

The Chronicle reported that at yesterday’s press conference, its journalists were told that Pardew would not be answering any questions from them.

Wendy Taylor, head of communications at Newcastle United, said: “Before we start I need to make it clear there won’t be any questions from The Journal or the Chronicle answered by our manager.”

Journalists from the titles were allowed access to media facilities and the press conference after making the journey to White Hart Lane for the game.

Last week, HTFP reported that Tottenham Hotspur had confirmed ahead of the match that visiting reporters from the titles would be welcome to use all its usual facilities.

This came after a letter from the National Union of Journalists about the ban, which said its members should be able to “carry out their professional duties without hindrance”.

Journalists from the titles were previously prevented from asking questions to Pardew at a post-match press conference at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.

6 comments

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  • November 11, 2013 at 10:29 am
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    Pathetic.

    That said, asking questions of football managers rarely prompts anything approaching an interesting – or even coherent – response. Surely the NCTJ has bigger fish to fry (coroners holding inquests in cars so journalists can’t cover them, for instance) than whether or not football managers will answer questions in press conferences.

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  • November 11, 2013 at 1:16 pm
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    Generally I had Pardew down as a man of principle, but clearly he isn’t his own master in this sad debacle. Shame on him. He should have more guts than be told what to do in front of the world’s media by PR bimbos following instructions.
    It remains the case that the banned reporters, with the help of contacts and the solidarity (secret or otherwise) of unbanned media, should fight back with excellent stories and reports, and not fill their papers with gripes about the situation. One day, perhaps soon, the fragile and strange management structure at this fine club will collapse and sense will prevail, with a manager who knows his own mind and doesn’t have to do as he is told by the know nothings.

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  • November 11, 2013 at 4:24 pm
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    Just hope the Chronicle, Journal and Sunday Sun don’t back down. The club needs the papers more than the papers need the club!

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